A sales process is the sequence from first contact to accepted work, with someone responsible at each step.
The steps
Enquiry received, logged with its source so channels can be compared — see referrals and cost per lead.
Qualified. Is the work within what the business does, within its area, and within a budget it can meet. Estimating unqualified work consumes the time that would have won qualified work.
Assessed, on site or remotely, in enough detail to price it.
Quoted, with a scope of work rather than a bare number.
Followed up, because a large share of quotes are never declined and simply go quiet.
Won or lost, recorded with the reason, which is the only way pricing and positioning improve.
Scheduled, which is where a sale is frequently lost after being won.
Why writing it down matters
In a small business the process exists in the owner's head, and works while they handle every enquiry.
It fails at the point someone else answers the phone, and it fails invisibly: the enquiries that were not followed up never appear anywhere.
The step most often missing
Follow-up. It is nobody's job by default, it feels intrusive, and it is where the largest available improvement in close rate sits.
A defined cadence — a set number of contacts at set intervals — removes the judgement call and is what makes it happen consistently.
Measuring it
Count at each stage rather than only at the end. A business losing work at the assessment stage has a different problem from one losing it after the quote, and a single conversion figure cannot tell them apart — see sales pipeline.